Shinji Strikes Back!
by GiovanniBlasini
Summary: What if the progress Shinji had made towards getting along with others, especially his roommate, inspired him to give Misato a hand with Kaji aboard the carrier? Misato x Shinji friendship story. Starts during Asuka Strikes!, semiAU from there.
1. Chapter 1 Shinji Strikes Back!

Disclaimer: Y'all don't think I **own** any of this stuff, do you? Good, 'cause I don't.

Shinji had been listening to Ryoji Kaji and Misato-san, his guardian, going on back and forth for several minutes now. He acted _awfully_ familiar towards her, while she seemed to be very unhappy and agravated by him. He had his suspicions, but certainly didn't want to say anything. Besides, now that he wasn't crammed into a tiny elevator, although he had enjoyed being pressed **that** close to Misato's...assets, he was busy thinking about how he felt about his guardian.

Kensuke and Toji had a point - she didn't make an effort to hide her bad points, like her drinking, sloppiness, and bizarre taste in food, but he'd also seen her good points, too, how she seemed to genuinely care about him, and how she'd risked herself to save others during that mess with the Jet Alone robot.

They were in the mess hall, now, with Ryoji-san continuing his fun. Shinji could see Misato getting more and more upset. "So," Ryoji said, as he turned to Shinji, "I understand you're living with Katsuragi."

Shinji just smiled. It seemed a harmless enough question, so he hesitated only slightly before responding, a smile on his face. "Uh, yeah."

"Tell me, is she still so...wild in bed?"

The looks of shock and dismay on the faces of those at the table were priceless. Asuka, the Second Child, looked at Ryoji in shock and dismay, while his friends, Kensuke and Toji, wore the same shocked expressions while looking at Shinji. For Shinji, though, it just confirmed what he was suspecting - the two had been an item at one point, and how he was toying with her.

Misato slammed her fists down on the table, her face red. "What are you implying by that!"

Shinji smiled. He thought back to something Ritsuko-sensei had told him, about how fun it was to tease Misato. This had gone beyond mere teasing, though. It was time to turn the tables on Ryoji-san.

Kaji still wore the same amused smile on his face as he continued toying with Misato. "No, she hasn't changed at all, has she, Shinji?"

"No, Ryoji-san," Shinji replied, "and I hope she never does." Turning to Misato, he smiled and gave her a wink. "Right, Misa-chan?"

This time, all five of his companions turned to Shinji, trying to pick their jaws up off the floor.

Misato recovered first, grinning evilly, as she realized what Shinji was up to. "Of course, dear. After all, I didn't hear you complaining last night!"

Even after Kensuke and Toji both collapsed in shock, and despite Asuka's dirty looks directed at the two of them, Misato fell into a fit of laughter, and, after a few moments, Shinji joined her.

Author's Notes: Just a little something that occurred to me as a friend of mine & his wife (who I just introduced Evangelion to) and I watched that "Asuka Strikes!" last night. I couldn't help but notice, through the first few episodes, that Shinji was opening up more, becoming more relaxed, and was getting along pretty well with Misato. Wondering what would happen if that had continued, I wondered what would happen if he decided to stick up for her against Kaji by turning his own joke around on him.


	2. Chapter 2 The Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own any of this, still not making any money off of this, so there's still no reason to sue me.

Asuka had been staring strangely at Shinji. She'd dragged him off to show off her Evangelion, Unit 02, and had been bragging about the giant red EVA for several minutes, when the Angel attacked the fleet.

He was standing on the walkway to Unit 02, looking up at Asuka on her eVA, and wondering how in the Nine Hells the fiery redhead had managed to convince him to wear her spare plugsuit. It fit...well, poorly. Finally, after getting tired tired of trying to figure her out, Shinji decided he was just going to have to ask her. "OK, but what do we need these flight suits for, Asuka?"

Asuka stared at him in shock. "Are you dense! We're going to defeat that Angel with **my** Unit 02!"

"No way! Does Misato know about this?"

Asuka smiled. "I'll get your _girlfriend's_ permission after the fact!"

"Dammit, she's **not** my girlfriend!"

The smile on Asuka's face could only be described as demonic - how else could she look so innocent and angelic, yet so evil at the same time? "Oh, you two are just sleeping together casually?"

Shinji could feel his face turn red as he blushed. "What? No!"

"So it's serious, then?"

"Yes! I mean no...dammit, it's **not** like that! Argh! Forget it, let's just get going!"

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Asuka was trying, without much luck, to get her Evangelion started. Shinji could hear, though not understand, her rattle off something in German, to be rewarded with nothing more than the word "FEHLER" everywhere. She didn't appear to be getting the message, though, and on her second try, Shinji had started to get tired of what, to him, seemed perfectly obvious. "It's a program error."

She turned to him, with an irritated look on her face. "It's **thought noise**! I **told** you not to disturb me!"

Shinji was, needless to say, confused. Hadn't he just been sitting here quietly? "What do you mean?"

"Argh! You're thinking in Japanese, aren't you? If you **must** think, stop thinking about Misato, and think in German!"

'You know, maybe helping Misato wasn't such a great idea,' Shinji thought. "I told you...never mind. I'll try...strudel, brautwurst..."

The brief look of shock on Asuka's face was **almost** worth it. Almost. "Argh! Dummkoph! Never mind! We'll start over again. Switch language to Japanese."

The activation went much smoother. However, Shinji and Asuka could hear the admiral and Misato arguing over the radio aruging about the EVA activation. What really stood out to Shinji, though, was the mention of the B-Type equipment fitted to Unit 02. Ritsuko's long, tiring training and equipment briefings had made one thing abundantly clear clear - B-Type equipment and water were a bad combination. Leaning over to Asuka, he tried to keep quiet enough for the comm pickups not to catch his voice. "If we fall into the ocean, we're done for."

Asuka simply replied, "Then we won't do that."

Before he could say anything else to her, though, the two pilots could hear Misato on the radio. _"Shinji, are you in there, too?"_ She hadn't sounded that enthusiastic since before Kaji had shown up on the bridge of the _Over the Rainbow_.

Deciding that an enthusiastic Misato was a good thing, Shinji did his best to be upbeat. "Yes, ma'am! Hi!"

Turning to him, Asuka was stunned. "You call your girlfriend 'ma'am'!"

"I **told** you, we're not..."

_"Quiet, both of you! Asuka, take off!"_

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Misato was heading to the jeep, where she was supposed to meet Ritsuko. The battle against this Angel had been a costly one. So many ships lost, with so many casualties. She couldn't help but think of Wellington's comment after the Battle of Waterloo - "Nothing save a battle lost is so terrible as a battle won".

She got to the Jeep, where the driver was already waiting, and flopped into one of the rear seats. After a couple minutes, she was joined by Ritsuko, who looked like she couldn't decide whether to laugh or yell. Before she could say a thing to her friend, though, Ritsuko managed to speak first. "I thought you said you **weren't** going to seduce him, Misato! He's **fourteen!**"

"What are you talking about!" Actaully, there was only one fourteen year old male she could think of that Ritsuko could mean. "Shinji? I haven't seduced Shinji!"

"Oh, you're going to try to tell me that **he** seduced **you**, Misato?" The venom with which Ritsuko spit out her accusation was disturbing. Even the driver had begun to try to sink deeper into his seat. What on Earth would make Ritsuko think that she was...

'Kaji,' she thought. 'I'm going to **kill** him!'

"Ritsuko, I don't care what Kaji told you, I'm not having sex with Shinji. Kaji decided it would be fun to tease me, and Shinji was just sticking up for me. We were trying to turn the tables on him."

Finally, Ritsuko smiled. "I know. Like I told Shinji, though, you're just as fun to tease as he is!"

"Dammit!"

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Shinji couldn't wait to take a shower and get back into his own clothes. He was sick of the smell of LCL, of Asuka's poorly-fitting plugsuit. Yep, a nice hot shower, and getting back into men's clothing was near the top of his list right now.

Asuka had run off ahead of him, leaving his friends Kensuke and Toji trailing in his wake, still laughing and poking fun at him for being stuck in his fellow pilot's spare suit. He could see Asuka off ahead, though, hanging off the side of a stopped Jeep, and he recognized Akagi-sensei and Misato in the back seat. 'Finally,' he thought, 'relief is at hand.'

As he walked up to the jeep, though, he couldn't help but feel something was terribly, terribly wrong, because Ritsuko was staring at him, a wide smile on her face. He didn't have any gear with him, so he looked to climb into the back cargo section, but before he could, Ritsuko spoke up. "So, Shinji, I hear you and Misato are an item."

"I, um...it's not like that! Really!"

She wasn't letting him off the hook that easily, though. "Oh, so the two of you **haven't** slept together? Be honest, now, that's an order."

He could see Misato getting uncomfortable, and he knew why. "Well, there was that time after the Jet Alone accident, where Misato had a little too much to drink while celebrating, and needed help getting to bed. She kind of fell when I was trying to get her into her bed, and she kinda fell on my arm, and..." When he realized what he was saying, and what everyone thought he was saying, he flushed bright red.

That didn't help matters, as everyone just stared at him slack-jawed. Well, except for Misato, who was just hiding her face in her hands, whispering quietly. "I didn't think we'd..."

His friends, meanwhile, were bowing down to him. "Shinji-sama! You never told us you've been to the promised land!"

That, finally, was enough to put Shinji over the edge. "It wasn't **like** that! She passed out, my arm was pinned, and so I just slept there! Nothing happened!" He sighed and, hopping into the back of the jeep, he asked, "Could we **please** just head back to HQ? I'd **really** like to wash the LCL off of me, and get back into my own clothes."

Toji and Kensuke just kept bowing, repeating "Shinji-sama, please teach us your secrets!" Misato was still mumbling to herself, with her face still buried in her hands, Ritsuko stared at her friend, a dubious look on her face, and Asuka looked like she was going to explode. The jeep's driver, meanwhile, was trying his best to make himself invisible, as they finally headed back to HQ.

Shinji finally leaned over to Misato, and, making sure he was loud enough for the others to hear, said, "I'm sorry, Misato-san. You're my friend, and I was trying to help, but I just made things worse."

She didn't speak right away, but, finally, Misato nodded. "It's OK, Shinji-kun. I appreciate what you were trying to do. Really, it means a lot to me. Don't worry, it'll be OK. I'm sure they believe us, and what's the worse that could happen?"

**Author's Note:** After I posted the first part of this, which I figured would just be a one-shot, I kind of had some ideas on how to follow up. Next thing I know, I got a lot of positive feedback (more than my other story, which has been up much longer), confirming what I was starting to think. Anyway, let me know what y'all think.


	3. Chapter 3 Dance You Two!

**Disclaimer:** Nope, Evangelion and its characters don't belong to me, and, nope, I'm not making any money off this. Surprised? Didn't think so. 

**Author Pre-Note:** This part of the story takes place during episode 9, "Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!"

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"...very well, Captain," said Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, "your plan is approved. However, at the completion of the operation, Pilot Sohryu will be permanently assigned to your care. And there's one more thing, Captain, regarding your status as guardian of Pilot Ikari."

Misato tried not to break out into a cold sweat. Were they going to take Shinji away from her. "Sir?"

"I'm sure you're aware of the disturbing rumors floating around the base, Captain?"

Blushing, Misato could just nod. "Yes, sir, I'm aware of the rumors. However, they're **completely** unfounded, Sub-Commander!"

"I am aware that you are not having sexual relations with the Third Child, Captain Katsuragi. However, I hope I do not have to remind you that your duty, first and foremost, is as NERV's director of operations. It's your responsibility to not only handle tactical planning and direction for operations, but to also ensure that the pilots are capable of performing their duties and, if necessary, to be prepared to sacrifice one of them in combat, should the need to do so arise. Ideally, this requires a certain level of emotional detachment."

"Sub-Commander, I..."

"Allow me to finish, please, Captain. I understand and appreciate your position, and the fact is that Pilot Ikari's combat performance has greatly improved in the time he's been under your care. I'm reminding you for your own sake, Misato, to be careful not to get **too** attached. I have no doubt that you can carry out your duties, and even order Shinji to his death if need be. What I do have my doubts about is whether **you** would be able to continue to function afterwards. Be caring, be supportive, but also be careful to keep in mind the risks we all face, and their significance. That's all, Captain. You're dismissed."

After saluting, Misato left the Sub-Commander's office, and headed off to make the arrangements necessary for Asuka to move in with her and Shinji. In truth, she didn't sure she was looking forward to it - she and Shinji had made progress. They'd warmed up to one another, and really were starting to behave like they were a family. A weird, screwed-up family to be sure, where she was mother, big sister, and perhaps even "girlfriend" to the young pilot - she'd noticed the way he looked at her, at times, though he was polite and embarassed enough to try to pretend he wasn't, and he **did** have a kind of cute, bishounen quality about him, and there was that time after the Jet Alone robot..._'Anyway,'_ she thought, _'as strange as our relationship is, we're family, and I really don't want that to change.'_

She remembered the time he'd almost left Tokyo-3 for good, when she'd just barely caught him before he got on a departing train, and left her life for good. She thought of how the young pilot was the first person in years that she'd really let into her life - even with her friend Ritsuko, she kept things superficial, trying not to let her too close. And, of course, then there was Kaji..._'Best not to dwell on him, though. Kaji hasn't changed at all in eight years - he's **still** nothing but trouble!'_

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Shinji was, finally, in a good mood again. He had just gotten home, didn't have Asuka around to argue with, and, best of all, was going to have dinner with Misato, and it was **his** night to cook - no need to brave her attempts at "improving" instant ramen. Opening the door to their shared condominium, Shinji shouted out a greeting to his roommate. "I'm home!"

Silence.

"...Not that anyone's _here_, of course..." Opening the door to his suite, he was greeted by the sight of boxes. Everywhere. "**What!** What is this!"

"Don't be so rude!" Oh no. That voice. Not **that** voice!

Shinji spun around, finding himself facing...Asuka Langley Sohryu. _'Hotei-sama, where are you when I need you?'_ "You? But...what...but what in the blazes are you doing in my house?"

Asuka just took another sip of her soda, smiling. "Why are you still here?"

"Still here!"

"Hmm, yeah...you've been dumped for the new model."

"Huh?"

"Misato will be living with me, which makes more sense than her living with a perverted little boy like you. After all, if I can't be living with **Kaji**, why should _you_ get to have any fun? Say, just why are Japanese houses so small, anyway? I couldn't even get half my stuff into my new room!"

Shinji turned, and found his few belongings packed haphazardly in a box, and shoved off to one side. 'Stunned' just didn't cover it.

He barely heard Asuka continue in her ranting. "...and Japanese sure don't have any sense of privacy! How can they live in a room without any locks? Unbelievable!" She continued to play with the door, not hearing the approach of her other roommate. "It's weird."

Misato, who had entered the condo to the sounds of Shinji's panic attack and Asuka's speech on the living conditions in Japan, smiled, and responded to the girl. "The **Japanese** way is to consider the needs of others before one's own."

"Misato!" Shinji was thrilled. Finally, Misato was going to set the red-headed devil straight!

She smiled, and it was then that Shinji noticed the radio on her shoulder. "How's it going? You two are going to get along real well."

"What's that?"

"What do you mean?"

"This is part of your new training!"

"Say what!"

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Asuka woke up the next morning, feeling good. The night had gone pretty well, without her new roommates doing anything perverted, either with each other or to her. She didn't even remember having the nightmare last night, which would be the first time since leaving Germany. She sat up, looking around the room, happy for once.

It didn't last long, unfortunately, as she noticed her roommates.

Misato had spent the night in the same room as Shinji and Asuka, sleeping on a futon in between the two of them. Supposedly, she was "keeping an eye" on the two teenage pilots, but that wasn't what it looked like to Asuka at the moment.

At some point overnight, Shinji had rolled over to the edge of his futon. Misato had done the same, the two snuggling close to one another, one of her arms thrown around his shoulders, his hand on the small of her back. Worse, Shinji's head was snuggled up to Misato's..."Aaaah! Perverts! Don't you have any shame?"

Both Shinji and Misato work with a start, realizing where they were, and what they were doing. Both stared at one another, as the dawning realization gave way to shock and fear, similar thoughts running through both of their minds. _'How did we...what the...did he..did she...did I...'_

Despite the shock and amazement on their faces, Asuka wasn't letting up. "Can't you keep your hands off one another when I'm around? What's **wrong** with you two? Has it been that long, Misato-san, than you're going after _him_?"

Misato recovered more quickly than Shinji, who was simply blushing furiously. "What's wrong, Asuka? Did you want him for yourself?"

"What!"

Grinning, Misato stifled a laugh. "We could always make it threesome..."

Asuka ran screaming from the room, as Shinji collapsed back on his bed, trying not to faint as he used his shirt to try to staunch his sudden nosebleed.

Misato seemed disappointed. "Awww, she's no fun to tease. Shinji-kun, are you OK?"

"I thibk tho..."

Misato nodded, and patted Shinji on the arm. "Good. I better go talk to her..." She turned, to see Pen-Pen kicking the bathroom door repeatedly. "Hmm, maybe after she's settled down a bit. Do you remember what happened last night, Shinji-kun?"

Still blushing furiously, though with his nosebleed stopped, he vigorously shook his head 'no'.

"Neither do I. But, hey, we're both still dressed, and it's not like we haven't hugged before...are we OK, Shinji?"

Shinji nodded. "I...I think so, Misato."

"Still friends?"

He just nodded again, still a little too stunned for speech.

Misato smiled. "Good." She got up on her knees, and, resting her hand on Shinji's shoulder, kissed him on the forehead.

Unfortunately, she did so at the exact same instance Asuka had finally opened the door to the bathroom, and stepped back into the hall. 'Aaaah! Not again!" She turned to try to run back into the bathroom, only to find Pen-Pen had slipped past her, closing and locking the door behind him. "Damn it!" She ran down the hallway, into the kitchen, muttering in German the entire time.

Misato sighed as she stood up. "I'd better go talk to her."

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Shinji had finally convinced his fellow pilot and new roommate to head back to Misato's..._'No,' _he thought ot himself, _'not Misato's condo. It's **our** condo now, our...home.'_

Training had been going badly, with the pair having trouble getting in synch with one another. Being shown up by Rei had been the last straw, evidently, for the German pilot.

But that, hopefully, was in the past now, and he and Asuka had worked out their issues, while eating sandwiches, watching the Sun slowly set over Tokyo-3. Shinji wasn't sure why she had been so upset, or why piloting EVA was so important to her, but, in the end, it didn't matter. What **did** matter is that, if he ever wanted to have a moment's peace at home, then it would have to be Asuka, not Rei, that he fought against the Angel with, and, that being the case, they'd just have to succeed, wouldn't they?

The two walked in silence back home, neither willing to break the silence first. Finally, Asuka stopped in her tracks, forcing Shinji to do the same as she grabbed his arm. She looked at him and, with a serious look on her face, asked the question that Shinji had really, really hoped she wouldn't ask. "Shinji, what exactly is going on with you and Misato?"

Shinji still couldn't help but blush a little. And stutter. "We..we're just friends, Asuka, really."

"And you snuggle up with **all** your friends like that?

"Of course not! You think I'm going to do that with Toji, or Kensuke? We're **guys**, Asuka! We just don't do that!"

Asuka smiled. That was hardly comforting, though, as it felt to Shinji like the look of a predator whose prey had just walked into a trap. When she spoke, he realized it was because that was exactly what had happened. "So, it's OK to do that with Misato because she's a girl?"

Feeling himself starting to sweat, Shinji tried to figure out how to extricate himself from the trap he'd walked into. "Um, I guess..."

"So she **IS** your girlfriend, then!"

"No, she's not! She's a girl, yes, but she's just a friend! She's not my girlfriend!" He could feel himself starting to get hot, but it wasn't the same kind of thing as when he was embarassed. It was more like when he was fighting his second Angel.

He wasn't the only one to notice the change - Asuka did, as well. "Let me ask you this, then. Would it be OK for you to act like that with other friends who just happen to be girls?"

Shinji thought about it for a moment, before answering. "I don't know, Asuka." He exhaled sharply, trying to pull his thoughts together. He was uncomfortable talking about this, and would much rather not have to deal with this, but he felt it was important to make sure there were no misunderstandings about his friendship with Misato. He owed it to her.

"Look," he said finally, "I haven't had a lot of friends. I guess, really, Misato was the first real friend I ever had. And, yes, we're close, and, yes, I care about her. But we're not...well, you know."

"Having sex?" Asuka offered helpfully, somehow stifling her own laughter.

Shinji just blushed again. "Um, yeah. We're not, y'now, doing that. And we're not dating, either."

"OK, Shinji. I believe you...for now. Let's get back, though, all right?"

She didn't really believe him, she decided. In fact, she was still convinced there was more going on there, and that Shinji, like all boys, was at least a little bit of a pervert. There was a way to see, though. She'd have to wait until Misato was away one night, then test him, by seeing if it was Shinji who'd snuggled up to Misato, or the other way around, and she was willing to risk Shinji cuddling with her, or maybe even kissing her, if it would help her find out the truth.

Asuka was determined to get to the bottom of what was going on with Misato and Shinji. She almost hoped it was true that they **were** dating. Sure, Shinji was kind of cute, and he had his moments, but he was no Kaji. And, if Misato was willing to date Shinji, then it meant that Asuka might really be able to convince Kaji to see her for the woman she was!

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Kaji stood at the opening of the elevator, smiling at Misato. Their encounter in the elevator, just moments before had been...intense, and he was enjoying her change of heart, even if she was denying it. "Which should I believe, your words, or your lips?"

Misato just stared back at him, fighting the urge to throw her clipboard at him. "I'm **serious**, Kaji. That's not going to happen again. We're..."

The frustrating part is that he never stopped smiling. "This isn't about _Shinji_, is it? It **is**, isn't it?" He actually laughed then.

She'd had enough. Forcing herself to smile, she walked up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and, leaning close to him, sweetly whispered into his ear. "How about my knee? Would you believe my knee?" With that, she brought her right knee up into his groin. Hard.

As Kaji crumpled onto the floor of the elevator car, Misato recomposed herself, and walked away, without looking back. "Bastard..." Deciding she desperately needed coffee, Misato decided to head for the cafeteria.

Thirty minutes later, she was still there, listening to Ritsuko go on about the bastard in question, and trying to explain to her friend exactly why she and Kaji wouldn't work again.

Misato was getting more than a little frustrated with her friend, who was currently encouraging her to "go with her feelings" for Kaji. "After all," the blonde said, "it's not eight years ago."

Misato shook her head. "No, it's not. But nothing's changed, Ritsuko, not a bit. He's still immature. In fact, Shinji can be more mature than Kaji sometimes."

Ritsuko shook her head in dismay. "Oh, hell..."

"What, Ritsuko?"

"Keep in mind he's still only fourteen, and that he's more than a little fragile emotionally. Besides, you're his commander - you have to keep **some** level of emotional detachment."

Misato sighed. "I know, I know. It's just that...well, it's actually been really great having him around, you know? This may sound stupid, but we're actually a lot alike, Ritsuko. You've met his father, and you've heard me talk a little about mine. And we've both spent so much time alone, and have a hard time getting close to people..."

"And you think by helping him open up, by showing him someone cares about him, and helping him learn to get close to others, you'll learn to do the same, Misato?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly...well, not entirely. It goes both ways, you know? I show him I care about him, he shows me he cares, too. And he has, Ritsuko." Misato paused, as if to organize her own thoughts a bit before continuing. "Look, I know what can happen, that he could get killed, and I think that, if he's learned anything so far piloting EVA, it's that, and that I might have to give him orders that will get him killed. But I think he also knows I won't ask him to do anything I wouldn't be willing to do myself."

"Ah, yes, the Jet Alone robot. He was pretty worried about you, wasn't he?"

The purple-haired woman nodded. "Yeah, he was. When he mentioned to you on the jeep, he kind of played it down a bit, Ritsuko. Sure, I was drunk, and I don't remember much, but I remember him helping me to my bed, and me collapsing, taking him down with me. But I also remember him shaking pretty hard, and how he was clutching me, kinda like he was afraid I'd disappear or something."

Ritsuko nodded. "Do you think he sees you as a replacement for his mother, or that he has a crush on you?"

Shrugging, Misato sighed. "I don't know. A coupe times I've caught him, you know, checking me out? He gets so embarassed when I notice, though, and I'm not sure if it's because he thinks it's impolite, or if it's because he sees me as a mother figure...I've really walked into a minefield, haven't I?"

Trying, almost successfully, to stifle her laughter, Ritsuko just nodded. "I'd say so, yes. I still can't believe you actually hit him, Misato."

"Kaji? I didn't just hit him."

"No?"

"I kneed him in the groin."

Ritsuko winced. "That must of hurt."

"That was the point." Misato stood. "Anyway, I've got to get back to work. Tomorrow's the big day, you know!"

Slipping out of her chair as well, Ritsuko sighed. "That it is. You know you've got to talk to Shinji about this, and soon, right?"

"I know. After this Angel is dealt with, Ritsuko. I promise."

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The battle the next morning had gone perfectly, with Shinji and Asuka fighting in perfect unison. Everyone who watched them was astounded by their display of prowess, and they defeated both halves of the Angel with skill and precision.

There was only one flaw with their battlefield prowess, though, and that was the fact that, at the present, Asuka's EVA Unit-02 was lying in the blast crater left behind by the dying Angel, atop Shinji's Unit-01, the limbs of the two Evangelions tangled up.

Shinji didn't care, though. The battle was over, and they'd won. He'd proven to Asuka that he could keep pace with her in his "obsolete" Evangelion. _'Oh yeah,'_ he thought as he climed out of his EVA, _'that went great!'_

That was when the external holographic "phone" on his EVA rang. Picking it up, he was greeted by a howling Asuka, as the two swiftly fell into arguing

Finally, Asuka dropped the bomb she'd been waiting to use. "Liar! I know you tried kissing me while I was sleeping!"

"I did not! You were the one who 'slept walked' back onto my futon! And it wasn't **me** who was calling for her mother in her sleep!"

Asuka wasn't going to lose this argument, though. "No, you're the one who was busy dreaming of Misato! 'Oooh, Misatooooo...'!"

"I didn't..it wasn't...oh, shut up! I told you, we're not like that! You're making that up, aren't you?" Shinji was losing, and he knew it.

In the operations, center, meanwhile, everyone was staring at rapidly blushing Misato. "What? He's right, it's not like that!" She sighed. _'I really, really need a beer. Or three. Or a whole six-pack.'_

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**Author's Notes:**

First, a few definitions. "Hotei" is a Japanese god of luck, happiness and contentment, and one of the favorite subjects of paintings by the famous swordsman Musashi Miyamoto. A _bishounen_ is a "beautiful boy", or an attractive male with somewhat effeminate features. I'd suggest hitting Wikipedia, who can describe either better than I could.

Second, I just picked up the first two volumes of the manga and, reading through it, there are some elements of it that I definitely like better than the anime. Hence, I'm combining elements of both the anime and the manga for my story, so a few things, like the incident where Shinji ran away, are a bit different - Misato actually explained why she took Shinji in, and it was a lot clearer that, not only did she care about him, but that she had her own relationship issues, and that, deep down, she didn't want to be alone, and wanted some sort of "family", and actually _hugged_ him. And he hugged her back!

Last, I'm noticing that each subsequent chapter I'm writing is longer than the one before it. Also, I'm noticing that they're getting a bit more difficult to write, and I'm weaving in more drama, and struggling to keep the humor. Fact is, Evangelion is a serious story, despite there being a lot to laugh at. I'll try to keep "teh funny" in there, though, I promise. :)


	4. Chapter 4 It's Gettin' Hot in Here

**Author's Notes**: Well, that whole experience sure did suck! The last few weeks have basically sucked, leaving me damned little time to write. I'm getting behind on all the stuff I'm working on, including this story. And, when I thought I had a decent version done, and tried to upload it, the site's login system wasn't working. So, then I start rereading, and editing _this_, and rereading, and changing _that_...well, I hope this is better than my first pass through this chapter. Let me know what y'all think.

**Disclaimer**: If y'all think I own this, or am making any sort of profit, then, as Rob Halford sang, "You've got another thing coming!"

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Ryouji Kaji sat across the table from the young redhead for whom he was, until very recently, guardian, eating lunch. _'Sometimes,'_ he thought, _'the natural luck I seem to have with women can be a real curse, rather than a blessing.'_

It wasn't that he didn't like Asuka, or that he didn't care for her. It's that he didn't have the same kind of romantic interest in her that she had in him. At all. That, then, was the source of difficulty for him - he should have expected her to try something like this "shopping trip" for a swimsuit for her class trip, where her ulterior motive was so obvious. Asuka didn't want him to see her as a little girl anymore, and was eager to show him just how much she'd grown.

Outwardly, he was attentive to what Asuka was saying, but inwardly he frowned. How do you explain to a 14 year old girl, one of three people the fate of the world hinged upon, whose infatiuation with you bordered on idol worship that you saw her like the little sister he never had? Idly, he wondered if Misato had the same problem with Shinji.

_'Enough of this!'_ he thought. After all, he might finally have a solution to the problem, someone else he could divert that infatuation towards. "So," Kaji asked, "how's life at the Katsuragi residence?"

Asuka shrugged, her demeanor rapidly changing from energetic to sullen. "OK, I guess..."

"What's wrong?"

The girl sighed. "I don't know where to start, Kaji! I mean, sometimes it's not so bad, but Shinji can be such a pushover sometimes. And he may not be as big a pervert as I first thought he was, and with friends like his who wouldn't think that, but Misato's worse!"

Kaji shrugged. "Oh, come on, she can't be that bad..." He started sipping his tea.

"She suggested we have a threesome!"

Fortunately, Kaji managed to keep from spraying the tea onto Asuka.

A couple seconds passed before he'd recovered, but once he had, he laughed. "Asuka, I'm sure she was kidding." Picking up his tea again, he tried diligently to actually drink it this time.

Asuka sighed. "I hope so, because if I was going to do that, I'd much rather _you_ were involved, not Shinji!"

One day, Kaji would manage to actually **drink** some of his tea. Today, though, was evidently not that day.

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"I still can't believe you're going along with this so easily, baka!" Asuka was livid - she'd been looking forward to going on this trip, to doing something actually approaching having a normal life for once, only to have it taken away. And here Shinji was, calmly accepting the Captain's decision!

Shinji, meanwhile, shrugged. "What choice do we have, Asuka? Misato's right - we need to be here in case of an attack, and the Angels don't give us much warning. It might take too long for us to get back to Tokyo-3 in the event of an attack. It's like Misato said, Asuka. We're pilots, and we've got responsibilities."

"You sound like her, Shinji."

He shrugged again. "She's right."

Asuka sighed, still angry and upset about not being able to go on the class trip, and she was more than willing to take it out on her fellow pilot. How could he be so passive about this? "Tell me, Shinji, are you going along with this because you'll do whatever your girlfriend tells you to do, or because you wouldn't want to go if **she** wasn't with you, anyway?"

Shinji just shook his head. "It's not that, Asuka. Going on the trip would be, well, normal, and there hasn't been anything in my life since I got here that anyone I know would consider normal." He paused for a moment before continuing, "And I told you already: Misato isn't my girlfriend. She's my friend, and my commanding officer."

"Right, Shinji. We've been over this before - friends don't sleep in the same bed and snuggle up the way you too have." She thought, idly, about how Shinji and Misato almost seemed the opposite of her and Kaji. Could he really be as naive as to think that he and Misato were just friends?

Wanting desperately to change the subject, Shinji's mind raced to find something to distract his fellow pilot...that's it! "Asuka, why don't we go see our friends off, then head to NERV? I've heard they have a really big pool. It's not as good as the beach, but..."

Asuka nodded. "Fine, Shinji. Don't think we're done talking about this, though." She **would** get to the bottom of what was really going on with Shinji and Misato, and how such an unassuming boy could garner the attention of someone like Misato Katsuragi. Figuring out how Misato had drawn Shinji to her, other than the obvious, was worth figuring out as well. _'Hmm, perhaps the pool will be a good opportunity. I'll have to keep my eyes open.'_

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Rei exited the women's locker room, leaving Pilot Sohryu, who was still changing into her swimsuit. She noted that Pilot Ikari..._'No'_, she thought, _'I should refer to him as Ikari-kun. I believe our personal interactions since our actions against the Fifth Angel constitute a friendship.'_ Shinji seemed to be diligently try to ignore her, appearing to be engrossed in his laptop computer, sitting at a table. He was not wearing a swimsuit, instead wearing the white button-up shirt and black pants typical of his school uniform.

She stopped at the table, standing over him for a moment, before she spoke. "Ikari-kun, may I speak with you?"

Rei noted Shinji's hesitation, almost as if he was afraid to look at her. That was unusual. After all, he had never seemed to have trouble looking at her before. The only thing different was..._'But Ikari-kun has seen me in a swimsuit before. Is being in such close proximity while I am wearing a swimsuit making him nervous?'_ That alone merely reinforced her decision to talk to him, to confirm if what she had heard was true. Finally, Ikari-kun looked up at her, and, hesitantly, said, "Um, sure, Rei? What's up?"

Rei was...concerned. "I wish to inquire regarding your relationship with Captain Katsuragi."

She noted Shinji's nervousness. _'Perhaps,'_ Rei thought, _'the information is correct.'_ She wasn't certain what she found more unsettling - the idea that what she heard might be true, or the fact that she could be unsettled by this. Finally, after what seemed like ages, but was really only a second or two, Shinji spoke up. "Um, OK. What did you want to know?"

"Have you engaged in sexual intercourse with Captain Katsuragi?"

Rei waited briefly, but Ikari-kun's jaw was still hanging open, his face flushing a bright scarlet. "Ikari-kun, are you all right?"

Finally recovering, Shinji said, "Yeah, Rei, you just caught me by surprise. And, no, Misato and I are not, um, you know..."

"Engaging in sexual relations?"

Shinji nodded vigourously, his face still bright red.

_'Interesting. He seems embarassed to discuss sexual activities, or to even name them. That reinforces what he said, but what about Pilot Sorhyu's statement that..."_ It was possible that her fellow pilot had either fabricated the story, or exaggerated the situation, though she could not understand why. Could it be a misinterpretation?

"I am confused, then, Ikari-kun. Pilot Sohryu stated that you and Captain Katsuragi were sleeping together, and my understanding is that is usually used as a euphemism for sexual activity..."

He shook his head. "Um, that's true," Shinji said, "but it could also just mean sleeping, Rei, which is all that happened with Misato and I. There was one time after the Jet Alone Robot accident where Misato had too much to drink while celebrating, and I had to carry her off to bed. I kind of got my arm stuck under her, and just slept there that night, rather than disturb her. Then there was one time when Asuka and I were doing our synch training, and Misato and I evidently cuddled up to one another."

Rei, however, wasn't entirely satisfied. "And when she observed the two of you kissing?"

"She kissed me on the forehead, that's it, I swear! We're not having sex, Rei, and we're not dating. Misato and I are just friends, OK?"

Rei considered for a moment. "I understand. Thank you for your honesty, Ikari-kun, and for explaining the situation."

"Um, sure, Rei. No problem." As Rei tiurned to go swimming in the pool, Shinji tried, desperately, to get back to his physics homework. He was having trouble concentrating, though, in part because of the conversation he'd just had, in part trying not to think about the fact that Rei actually looked pretty good in a swimsuit, and that he couldn't help but feel the other shoe, so to speak, was about to drop.

Ignoring his fellow pilot swimming laps in the pool, he was finally starting to regain his concentration, when Asuka entered the room, calling out to him. "Hmm, what have you got there, Shinji?"

_'That,'_ Shinji thought, _'would be the other shoe dropping, isn't it?'_ He tried to ignore her as much as possible, desperately trying to maintain his concentration. "Basic physics primer."

Asuka's tone was, as usual, dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, you're such an obedient student!"

Shinji didn't even bother looking up at first. "Well, I'll have to study it anyway..." Trying to concentrate was a losing battle. He looked up, finally actually _looking_ at Asuka. Evidently Rei wasn't the only one who looked good in a swimsuit.

Asuka was smiling. "Well, if I can't go diving in Okinawa, let's do it here!"

"Diving? Here?"

"Uh huh! So, what are you working on? Let's see..." Asuka leaned over, looking at Shinji's laptop, and giving Shinji an excellent view of her cleavage - her red and white two-piece almost seemed tailor-made to provide it.

_"That's it for that,"_ Shinji thought._ "There's no way I'll be able to concentrate now. It's almost like she's doing it on purpose...hmm..."_

Asuka seemed amused at Shinji's predicament."You can't solve an easy problem like this? There! All done - it's easy when you know how."

Shinji was surprised. "OK, if you can solve a difficult problem like that so easily, why are your grades so low?"

Asuka pouted. "It's because I'm having too much trouble figuring out what the questions are!"

"You mean you can't read the questions in Japanese?"

"That's right. I still haven't learned all the kanji yet." Her pout turned into something else, and her voice took on the tone it often did when bragging about herself. "I didn't have to study it in college."

While he'd realized she was incredibly confident in her abilities, Shinji hadn't realized that Asuka really _had_ accomplished quite a bit. "You went to college?"

Asuka beamed with pride. "Yeah, I graduated last year. So, what does this one say?" She gestured to the laptop's screen with a slight turn of her head.

Shinji, still surprised by his fellow pilot, managed to state, "It's a question about thermal expansion."

"Thermal expansion? Oh man, that's kid's stuff! To put it in terms you'd understand, most things expand when they get hot, and contract when they get cold."

He only pondered that briefly, before he agreed, "Well, that sounds simple enough..."

Clutching her chest, Asuka asked, "Look, if I were to warm up my breasts with my hands, do you think they'd get bigger or smaller?"

_"Oh yeah,"_ he thought, _"she's definitely doing this on purpose - Misato's teased me like this often enough. Fine, two can play at this game!"_

"Well, probably bigger. I suggest you get started, though."

_**"WHAT!"**_

Shinji smiled. "Well, Misato still has quite a head start on you, and if you're trying to get Kaji's attention..."

**SMACK!**

Asuka's face was starting to match her hair. "How **dare** you make perverted, snide comments about my Kaji like that!"

Shinji shrugged, trying not to rub his cheek, where Asuka had slapped him. "So you're not interested in Kaji?"

Fuming, she answered him. "Of course I am, just like there's _obviously_ more going on with you and Misato than you let on!"

"What the hell do you mean by that!"

"Well, Shinji, you seem to have paid an awful lot of attention to Misato's breasts!"

Standing up, Shinji was trying hard to keep his temper in check. "Dammit, what is it with everyone? There's _nothing_ going on with me and Misato!"

"Then how do you know so much about her breasts, Shinji?"

By this time, Rei had exited the pool and was drying off. Hearing the commotion between her fellow pilots, she walked over to the two. "Pilot Sohryu has a valid question, Ikari-kun. How do you know so much about Captain Katsuragi's anatomical details?"

Falling back into his chair, Shinji just groaned. _"And I thought fighting Angels was tough...I'd almost rather be doing that right now!"_

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Diving into the volcano, as Asuka finished her struggle with an Angel down below, Shinji couldn't help but think to himself that he'd have to be more circumspect in his thoughts in the future.

He had just reached the end of the cables and hoses that had run to Unit-02's "Type D" cooling gear, as he watched Asuka's EVA start to slip downward. He reached out, trying desperately to ignore the pain his EVA felt as it roasted. There...he had her.

His radio briefly crackled to life. _"Idiot...you showoff!"_

He keyed his in response. "Good to see you too, Asuka. I've got her, Misato, haul us up!"

The trip to the surface was excrutiating - even with the synch level dialed down as low as they dared go, Shinji felt like he was being boiled alive. _"All I want when I get back up to the surface is to get into some nice, cool water,"_ he thought.

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"_Cool water, Kami-sama. **Cool**. As in not hot. As in devoid of excess heat. I mean, really, would that be so hard to arrange? Who wants to go to a hot spring after sitting inside a volcano, anyway?"_

Shinji was sitting in the men's side of the hot springs with Pen-Pen. Admittedly, the warm water was loosening up his muscles, and it was pretty relaxing, but, still, it just seemed...well, wrong.

Meanwhile, on the women's side of the springs, Asuka and Misato were preparing to put into motion their nefarious plan: Operation Tease Ikari.

Smiling, Misato shouted, "Shinji, can you hear me!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Misato, still shouting, asked, "Could you be a dear and throw me the body shampoo?" as Asuka chimed in, explaining how the two had run out of theirs.

After warning them, and Shinji tossed the bottle over. Asuka caught the bottle in mid-air. The two then splashed around, running through their semi-improvised script, one, they hoped, would drive Shinji batty.

Eventually, after the fun and games were over, the two sat down at the edge of the springs to watch the sunset. Misato saw Asuka's eyes glance over at her midsection. She smiled, "Oh, the scar? It's something that happened during the second impact."

Asuka was quiet for a moment. "You know my past? About everything, don't you?"

"Well, it's part of my job." She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. "It's all ancient history now. We really ought to let it go."

Neither said anything for nearly a minute. Asuka finally broke the silence. "How can I, Misato?"

Misato shrugged. "I guess you try not to let your past define you. You can't let your past, and your pain, define who you are as a person. It's up to us to define who we are, and to focus on finding happiness, instead of dwelling in our pain."

The girl seemed lost in thought for a moment. "Does it work?"

"Sometimes. Some days it's easier than others. Sometimes, it's harder than hell." Misato didn't say anything else for a few moments. "I still get nightmares sometimes."

Asuka seemed startled. "What do you do?"

"I take comfort where I can find it. Usually it's in beer. Other times..."

Finally smiling again, Asuka finished her sentence, "...it's Shinji."

The purple-haired woman nodded. "Sometimes, yeah. I'll be honest, Asuka, that week where we all shared a room while you two were synch-training? That's probably the best I've slept in a while. I'm pretty sure the same is true for Shinji, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's funny, Asuka, but all three of us have had crappy pasts. Honestly, as bad as what happened to you was, I'd be hard pressed to say whose had it worst."

That caught Asuka by surprise. _"What the hell could have happened to Shinji that's a match for..."_ She **had** to know. "What happened to him, Misato?"

Misato shook her head. "That's really for him to say. You've noticed that he and his father don't really get along, though, right?" Asuka nodded. "Well, there's more to it than that. Let's just say the two of you are more alike than you think."

"And you, Misato?"

She shook her head again. "I don't think I'm _quite_ ready to talk about that right now, Asuka. Another time, OK?"

The red-haired pilot nodded. "So...what **is** going on with you and Shinji, Misato? I mean, I know you both say you're just friends, but..."

"But friends don't cuddle up to one another like Shinji and I did?" Misato chuckled. "I don't know, Asuka. I mean, no, we're not having sex, but these days I feel closer to Shinji than I do to Ritsuko, and we've been friends since college. Hell, I probably feel closer to Shinji these days to anyone else."

Frowning, Asuka asked, "Even me?"

Misato exhaled slowly. "Well, he and I have been living together for a while, and Shinji's arrival kind of broke me out of the state I was in. Besides, we've got that big sister / little sister thing going on, complete with the arguments. Oh, and then there's the whole thing with Kaji."

If Asuka could crawl into a hole and hide, she would. Unfortunately, none seemed handy just then. Trying to sound innocent, she asked, "Why, whatever do you mean, Misato-san?"

The older woman just laughed. "Relax, Asuka, I'm not competition for Kaji's affections. I made that mistake once already, and I won't make it again. No, I'll work with him, and I'll keep it friendly for the sake of the mission, but I'm not going to hop into bed with him again."

Watching her companion relax visibly, Misato continued. "And, I'd recommend you be careful, too. I don't think he feels the same way about you that you do about him, but even if he did, Kaji's really only out for a quick lay right now, Asuka."

Misato sighed. "He may be a scoundrel, but he does care about you, Asuka, and since you want love and romance, and since that's the last thing he's looking for, I don't think you're going to have a whole lot of luck. Besides, there's the whole age difference."

Asuka was floored. She wasn't at all sure what to say back, finally settling on the quick, easy response. "And the age difference between you and Shinji isn't an issue for you two?"

Shrugging, Misato smiled. "Asuka, he's sweet, he's caring, he puts up with my crap, he somehow got through the shell I built up around my heart, and he's the first guy in I don't know how long who sees more than my body when he looks at me. If age wasn't an issue, not only would I have had sex with him, I'd make sure he'd _never_ want anyone else."

While she didn't say anything else, the gears were turning in Asuka's head. She'd seen the key, finally. If she wanted Kaji, she had to convince him that she was as mature as any adult. Considering, everything she'd done, such as how she'd graduated college, or how she kept the world safe by piloting an EVA, how could she not?


End file.
